As is known, many pourable food products, such as fruit juice, UHT (ultra-high-temperature treated) milk, wine, tomato sauce, etc., are sold in packages made of sterilized packaging material.
A typical example of this type of package is the parallelepiped-shaped package for liquid or pourable food products known as TETRA BRIK ASEPTIC (registered trademark), which is made by folding and sealing laminated strip packaging material. The packaging material has a multilayer structure comprising a base layer for stiffness and strength, which may comprise a layer of fibrous material, e.g. paper, or mineral-filled polypropylene material, and which is covered on both sides with layers of thermoplastic material, e.g. polyethylene film. In the case of aseptic packages for long-storage products, such as UHT milk, the packaging material comprises a layer of oxygen-barrier material, e.g. aluminium foil, which is superimposed on a layer of thermoplastic material, and is in turn covered with another layer of thermoplastic material forming the inner face of the package eventually contacting the food product.
As is known, packages of this sort are produced on fully automatic packaging machines, on which a continuous tube is formed from the web-fed packaging material; the web of packaging material is sterilized on the packaging machine, e.g. by applying a chemical sterilizing agent, such as a hydrogen peroxide solution, which, once sterilization is completed, is removed from the surfaces of the packaging material, e.g. evaporated by heating; and the web of packaging material so sterilized is maintained in a closed, sterile environment, and is folded and sealed longitudinally to form a vertical tube.
The tube is filled with the sterilized or sterile-processed food product, and is sealed and subsequently cut along equally spaced cross sections to form pillow packs, which are then folded mechanically to form respective finished, e.g. substantially parallelepiped-shaped, packages.
Alternatively, the packaging material may be cut into blanks, which are formed into packages on forming spindles, and the packages are filled with the food product and sealed. One example of this type of package is the so-called “gable-top” package known by the trade name TETRA REX (registered trademark).
Once formed, the above packages may undergo further processing, such as the application of a reclosable opening devices to protect the food product inside the package from contact with external agents, and to enable the product to be poured out.
At present, the most commonly marketed opening devices comprise an annular frame portion defining a pour opening and fitted about a removable or pierceable portion of a top wall of the package; and a cap hinged or screwed to the frame portion, and which is removable to open the package. Alternatively, other types of opening, e.g. slide-open, devices are also known to be used.
The removable portion of the package may be defined by a sealing sheet glued or heat-sealed to the outside of the package to close a through hole in the package. One example of this solution is described and illustrated in Patent Application EP-A-943549. Alternatively, the removable portion of the package may be defined by a so-called “prelaminated” hole, i.e. a hole formed in the base layer of the packaging material before covering the base layer with other layers defining the packaging material, e.g. the layers of thermoplastic material and/or the layer of barrier material, which close the hole hermetically. One example of this solution is described and illustrated in Patent Application EP-A-331798.
In both cases, the opening devices are fed from a hopper to an adhesive application unit and subsequently to a gluing unit for gluing each opening device to a respective package.
To improve operation of the gluing unit, a need is felt within the industry for a sequencing unit for feeding the opening devices to the gluing unit in sequence and at predetermined travelling speeds and feed rates.
More specifically, a need is felt within the industry for highly flexible sequencing units, i.e. designed to convey the opening devices at different feed rates.
A need is also felt within the industry to reduce the operating noise level of the sequencing unit and at the same time reduce wear of the mechanical components, and so extend the working life, of the sequencing unit.
Finally, a need is also felt within the industry to cut off supply of the opening devices to the gluing unit without stopping the sequencing unit, in the event supply of the respective packages to the gluing unit is temporarily cut off.